Upper Valley Cube Day 2024

Inside the hall at Lebanon Elks #2099, the steady click and snap of plastic mechanisms filled the room as timers blinked to life. Enthusiasts gathered early to inspect puzzles and calibrate their hands before the first official countdowns began. Upper Valley Cube Day 2024 brought a tightly contested schedule to Lebanon, New Hampshire, USA on May 18, 2024. With 35 competitors taking on 14 rounds across six distinct disciplines, the day delivered focused action from the initial morning heats right through the afternoon finals.

The focal point of the gathering was the commanding performance of Charles Amarello, who controlled the tournament across multiple headlining categories. In the traditional Rubik's Cube main event, Amarello set the standard through three rounds among 34 competitors. His final average of 7.54 seconds secured top honors on the podium, underpinned by a sharp 6.70 single. The 3x3 results confirmed his form, keeping Derek White in second place with an 8.58 average and Levi Gibson in third with 9.07.

Amarello extended his dominance into 3x3x3 One-Handed, asserting full control over a field of 26 entrants. Navigating two rounds of single-handed solves, he registered a winning average of 13.77 seconds and a best single of 13.14. Ethan Zhuang chased closely with a 15.07 average to take second place, while Levi Gibson captured third with 15.80. The double victory cemented Amarello as the premier performer of the competition, managing complex turn sequences with remarkable consistency.

The short-format contests brought extreme pace to the tables, starting with the 2x2x2 Cube. Ethan Zhuang delivered a masterclass across three rounds, claiming first place among 33 competitors with a blistering 1.71 winning average and a single of 1.15. Levi Gibson earned the silver spot with 2.30, while Saisabari Ramesh finished third with 2.62. Ramesh soon took the spotlight in Skewb, topping a 29-person field with a 3.33 average and a 2.58 single, ahead of Zhuang at 3.84 and Justin Lee at 4.02.

Specialized events added further variety to the program, beginning with Square-1. Over two rounds featuring 16 competitors, Levi Gibson solved his way to victory with a winning average of 14.04 and a low single of 9.71, holding off Derek White at 14.99 and Saisabari Ramesh at 15.48. In the 3x3x3 Blindfolded division, where competitors rely purely on memorisation before donning a blindfold, Parth Garg seized first place from 10 contenders with a standout single of 33.02 seconds, followed by Ramesh at 2:07.50 and Dylan Girouard at 2:10.35.

Behind the top podium spots, several competitors posted significant personal milestones throughout Upper Valley Cube Day 2024. Jameson Severance took on five events and made a massive leap on 2x2x2 Cube, cutting his personal best by 68.8 percent down to 1.38 seconds, while also logging his first ever attempts at 3x3x3 One-Handed in 36.95 and Square-1 in 57.12. Kevin Veronneau tackled six events, achieving a 60.9 percent reduction on his 2x2x2 personal best to reach 1.82 seconds, trimming his Skewb best to 8.18, and completing his first Square-1 solve in 1:00.65. Atticus Wykle knocked 45 percent off his 2x2x2 record with a 5.63 mark alongside a 19.16 in the standard cube, while Jonathan David Means slashed his Skewb mark by 46.5 percent to 7.95.

The development across the roster continued with Dimitry Kruk, who improved his 2x2x2 mark by 38.4 percent to 5.16, reduced his Skewb personal best by 33.8 percent to 15.99, and lowered his 3x3x3 time to 18.55. Samuel Nichols claimed a best finish of ninth in 2x2x2 Cube while cutting his one-handed mark by 21.8 percent to 20.82 and his 3x3x3 time to 8.76. Fresh faces also made their mark at their first speedcubing outing; River Terami achieved a tenth-place finish in 3x3x3 Cube with an opening mark of 9.57 and posted a 1.37 on 2x2x2 Cube, while Joshua Warner completed his first WCA competition appearances with a 13.51 in the main event and a 1.92 single on 2x2x2.

The successful execution of Upper Valley Cube Day 2024 highlighted the depth of speed cubing talent in the region. From the double triumphs of Charles Amarello to the rapid solves across all six disciplines, the Lebanon gathering delivered top-tier action across every round. With every category accounted for and new milestones established across the board, competitors concluded this memorable cubing competition ready to build toward their next competitive appearances.